PPV: Live at Toitoi

PPV: Live at Toitoi - The Album.

The Project Prima Volta whānau are excited to release their debut album PPV: Live at Toitoi.

The album will be a collection of acoustic pieces presented live in concert at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre in February 2021 and recorded by the masterful Paul Jeffery. The 10-track album will feature PPV students and grads, joined by some of New Zealand’s music icons such as Julia Deans of Fur Patrol fame.

The events of 2020 have helped young people discover new ways to connect, and PPV: Live at Toitoi will be the culmination of the incredible dedication and investment each member of PPV has made in crafting their skills throughout their time in the programme.

Lockdown was a critical time for establishing personal goals and cementing positive behaviours, and these helped support PPV students through the challenging and uncertainness of a global pandemic. The album will reflect the values of the PPV programme and will serve as a platform for our young singers to share meaningful messages and experiences with their peers beyond Hawke’s Bay, like exploring musicality and using their voice as a source of empowerment and comfort.

Under the guidance of PPV graduate Katherine Winitana, the students will curate the music from a range of musical genres, and in the lead-up to the recording will also be mentored by the stellar line-up of supporting artists who we’ll confirm in the coming months.

Who is Project Prima Volta?

Finding voices, shaping futures. Project Prima Volta is a singing-based programme that opens up a whole new world of hope, opportunity and shared experience to a diverse group of young people who share a passion for singing. Each year, 30 Hawke's Bay teenagers are accepted for a year-long programme of coaching and mentoring culminating in a variety of exciting performance opportunities. Training together each week, the students work alongside international and homegrown industry professionals, developing meaningful skills like leadership, accountability, trust and learning from the various highs and lows of performance. There is a ripple effect as they find common ground with other performers, developing friendships and being part of a collective success.

Several alumni each year audition (always successfully) and go on to study music at university, with some of them being the first from their wider family to attend tertiary study. It stands to reason that not every PPV graduate will go on to become a Pavarotti or a Dame Malvina Major, or even a member of Sol3 Mio. But, in the end Project Prima Volta is about creating resilient, confident rangatahi prepared to take on whatever life brings.

Your Contribution...

All your support will go directly towards funding the album and its related costs. Your contribution will help us cover expenses like venue hire, recording equipment, sound engineers, music licensing, artist fees and compensation for the participating industry professionals that will assist the students in the curation and recording of the album.

How to Help

Your koha is greatly appreciated no matter the amount! If you’re unable to help us financially, we would love for you to spread the word about the boosted project to others. Please share this campaign with your music-loving friends through personalised emails or via social media.